you could embrace the french aspect of the gougeres and balance it would with tapenade somehow....i have seen tapenade scooped with endive leaves that might be nice.

OR

i also think with the italian theme, if you know they eat meat...this would be a great chance to get some prosciutto in there....like some melon or asparagus or figs or dates wrapped in it and then roasted until nice and crispy. god...i could go for some of that right now. I personally am leaning towards this the most since it would be a nice light start to your meal and make sure people still have room to enjoy the work you put into those homemade raviolis!

hope this helps...best wishes for a successful and memorable dinner party!